Zebulon Swimming Pool Soon to be Demolished

By MaryBeth Carpenter

In 1960, a group of men banded together to form the Zebulon Swimming Pool Association. The group formed on May 1, 1960 and registered as a business entity with 501C7 non-profit status on August 8, 1960.
The men formed the business at 301 W Glenn Street on a 1.1-acre parcel of land donated by C. Vaiden Whitley for the swimming pool, adjacent to the 1 acre he donated to the Town of Zebulon for a park, now Whitley Park. The association’s mission on its website is listed “to provide the residents of Zebulon with a safe place for children and families to have fun and learn to swim since drowning is a leading cause of death among young children and swimming is an exercise that can be done regardless of age.”
The association was created to build and maintain the first swimming pool in the community. Ferd Davis, Tom Monk, Frank Wall, Lew Ballard, and Wilbur Debnam – (maybe, need to verify) were the original investors – parents who wanted their children to swim in the community.
The 1.1-acre property included a parking lot, pool changing rooms, a 150,000-gallon pool, and a small field where residents used to play volleyball. Lewis Liles recalls, “members volunteered their time with upkeep. Crafton Hudson mowed the grass for years.” He recalls Margaret Truman Daniels’ kids attended the pool and they were about 8 years old in the mid-60s.
Beverly Wall Clark recalls watching from her home across the street as the pool was being built in 1960. “It was an exciting time, and many of us went to the pool nearly every day in the summer,” she recalls.
Soon the pool will be filled in and changing rooms destroyed as the Town of Zebulon takes ownership of the property, which has been in need of repair and refurbishment for several years. The pool has already been drained in preparation for its demolition. Chris Ray of Zebulon’s Park and Recreation Department opened the doors to the pool on January 8 so former lifeguards and their families could have one last nostalgic look at the pool before it is gone.

Tommy Massey recalls being part of the pool’s swim team. “We were tops in competition from the Capital Area Swim Conference and no one could beat us.” In 1964, in the relay team was comprised of Tommy Liborio, butterfly; Steve Vinson, Freestyle; Calvin Pippen, Backstroke, and Tommy Massey, breaststroke. “Tommy Liborio was so much better than any other butterflies, the rest of us could coast!” he exclaimed. Other members of the Capital Area Swim Conference were Cary, Fuquay, Clayton, Wake Forest and Pittsboro. “Cary dominated most age groups but not ours,” – he stated, speaking of the competitors in the 12-year-old bracket.
Former lifeguard Amy Woodard recalls calling the emergency squad to assist a diver who hit the board during a dive, breaking his leg in two places. Brad Freeman recalls “we had a lot of fun here” although he remembers a scary time when lightning struck the pool during a storm. The guards remembered scrubbing the mold from the pool sides, skimming the top for leaves, and finding frogs in the skimmer baskets. Most of them taught swimming lessons also over the years.

Tommy Massey recalls one morning in the 1970s when he over-chlorinated the pool. “A woman went for a dip in a yellow swimsuit, and when she left the pool, it was mostly white,” yet “she never said a word about it.” He also stated, “like with most community pools, we did more babysitting than life saving.”

The pool was operating as late as 2017, with memberships costing $450 for a year and $325 for a half of a season, according to the pool’s website. This paid for lifeguards, management, and maintenance on the property. “Here at ZSPA there is always adults’ management on site. Our lifeguards are ARC trained and perform in-service skills regularly. We have a swim team, aqua aerobics, arts / crafts, game days as well as ARC swimming lessons,” the website’s description reads.

The pool has been closed for several years as it faces maintenance needs, changing rooms and restrooms in disrepair and declining membership as other area pools have opened.
The ZSPA recently deeded the property to the Town of Zebulon, and commissioners recently approved a plan and a $300,000 budget line to demolish the pool site. Demolition is scheduled for March, 2023. The pool is a contributing structure to the recently approved Zebulon Historic District. Commissioner Shannon Baxter addressed the attendees at the regular November meeting, saying the pool can be destroyed since it involves no Federal funding.
Soon in 2023 the pool, the parking lot and the changing rooms will be merely a splash from the past.

MaryBeth Carpenter is Executive Director of Preservation Zebulon.

Copyright 2023